Top 5 Weeaboo Characters in Anime

Throughout the long history of anime, we have seen numerous otaku characters within the shows themselves. There are whole series based on anime otaku culture. But what is much more rarely seen, are foreign characters in anime, from outside of Japan, who also love anime and Japanese culture. In western countries we lovingly refer to these kinds of people as Weeaboos.

These are characters who love anime so much that they will randomly shout random anime quotes at total strangers (even without knowing what they mean). They will spend hours playing Japanese fighting games, or go crazy over some traditional Showa-era candy. These are the total nerds of anime, the complete and utter Weeaboos.


5. Sylphynford Tachibana from Himouto! Umaru-chan

  • Episodes 12
  • Aired: Jul 9, 2015 to Sep 24, 2015

Himouto! Umaru-chan follows the life of high school student Umaru, who is beautiful, smart, athletic, and pretty much perfect in every way. But when she gets home, she reveals her true self to the world, she is a total otaku. She loves anime, video games, anything nerd-related. Throughout the series we see her continuously run into Sylphynford Tachibana, her classmate. Sylphynford is Umaru-chan’s self-declared rival. Whether it is studying, tennis, or video games Sylphynford will take her on. The two form a bond of friendship through their so-called rivalry and also their love of traditional Japanese sweets.

Sylphynford was raised outside of Japan and was introduced to Japanese culture by her beloved brother. Since that time she has moved to Japan to become a master video gamer and connoisseur of all thing Japanese. She has a strong love for kotatsu, onsen (Japanese hot spring), and has a traditional Japanese tatami room. In one endearing scene, we get to see her and Umaru explore an old-school penny candy shop together, picking out old favorites and recommending sweets to each other. Sylphynford can be pretty embarrassing at times, especially when she wants to challenge Umaru-chan, but she is a good-hearted girl, who just happens to also be really passionate about Japan.


4. Nico from Nanbaka

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: Oct 5, 2016 to Dec 28, 2016

At the world’s highest level security prison, out in the middle of the Sea of Japan, we find one of the most renowned weeaboos. But this prison might not be all it’s cracked up to be. We come into the show just as 4 infamous prison breakers are trying to escape. But despite being master escape artists, they aren’t the best fighters. The amount of over-the-top drama seen in Nanbaka is totally ridiculous. If you have been looking for a totally silly comedy, try out Nanbaka.

Nico has a bit of a dark past. We learn that he is American and was originally arrested for selling drugs. He broke out of his reform school and is now comfortably living at Nanbaka. In our first introduction to Nico, he is already spouting references to real anime (which of course have to be partially bleeped out). To battle the boredom of prison, Nico is constantly ordering anime online. At any opportunity he tries to bring more anime, or related things, into their daily lives. This is a laugh out loud anime will have you screaming at times.



3. Arisa Ahokainen from Akiba's Trip

  • Episodes: 9+
  • Aired: Jan 4, 2017 - Ongoing

Based off the popular game, the ecchi anime, Akiba’s Trip, was released this January. In a world where Akihabara is overrun by “bugged ones” the only way to stop them is by ripping off their clothing… Apparently the “bugged ones” are vulnerable to sunlight and become extremely weakened when exposed to it. These are parasitic creatures that take over the bodies of whoever they find, and in Akihabara, you can find some crazy characters.

Arisa is a busty foreigner who is obsessed with rare Japanese figures and is constantly in cosplay. With her perky attitude and catch-phrase “Moi”, Arisa inserts herself into this alien fighting group. Her knowledge of famous maids and current otaku trends actually comes in useful at times, being stuck chasing monsters around Akihabara all the time. Her overly friendly and outgoing personality doesn’t hurt either when trying to get people to help them. Essentially, Arisa uses her otaku skills to fight evil, that’s some high level weeaboo.


2. Patricia Martin Lucky Star

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: Apr 8, 2007 to Sep 17, 2007

Lucky Star is famous for its random antics, adorable girls, and its many not-so-hidden anime references. The main otaku star of this show is, of course, Konata Izumi. She is the master of all things otaku, but being from japan, she can’t be officially included on this list. So we found the next best thing, her foreign exchange student friend, Patricia.

Patricia is introduced in the latter half of Lucky Star as a transfer student from the United States. Despite being a bit younger, her and Konata bond over their deep love of all things anime. Konata is then able to help her get a job at the cosplay café she works at. Patricia can speak Japanese, but because she learned most of it through anime and manga, it can be a bit bizarre at times. She is also a huge fan of BL, which helps her connect with one of her classmates who is really into writing it.


1.Susanna Hopkins from Genshiken 2

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: Oct 10, 2007 to Dec 26, 2007

If you are looking for a show full of otaku characters, then seriously, Genshiken is your holy grail. This series follows the daily lives of a university’s anime club, and the situations that they get it into could not be more real. We see them sell comics at Comiket, deal with relationships, and sometimes take care of some foreigner friends. It’s here where we find our biggest weeaboo, queen of them all, Susanna Hopkins.

Susanna Hopkins, also known as Susie, visits one of the main characters in Japan. She is from America and despite not knowing Japanese, or apparently how to act appropriately in public, she is a total otaku. Throughout her visit, she shouts random anime quotes at people, despite not always knowing what they mean. She is also a cosplayer and huge BL fan. Both her and her friend visit Japan during the famous comic market in Tokyo. There, they shop to their hearts’ content and also participate in the cosplay scene. Susie is a total anime buff and knows everything there is to know about it, both classic and new, so be warned if you want to challenge this queen to a weeaboo showdown.


Final Thoughts

If you are reading this article, perhaps you can relate to these characters just a bit. See yourself in the crazy obsession that rules these characters lives. You might not want to carve a Gundum or do battle over some obscure anime figurine but we all share their love of anime. If there are any notable weeaboo characters that we missed, let us know. We want all weeaboo characters to be recognized for their slightly crazy efforts.

Sylphynford-Tachibana-Himouto-Umaru-chan wallpaper-500x494 Top 5 Weeaboo Characters in Anime

Writer

Author: Devan Baird

I was the co-founder for the anime convention Swampcon at the University of Florida. Currently living and working in Tokyo as a writer, editor, and video editor. With my daily vlog on everyday life in Tokyo, you can see how the Japanese lifestyle can be completely different from what you expected!

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